The present invention relates to a ruled line block processing apparatus for processing a document with ruled lines.
In a conventional document composing apparatus with a one-line display, a document is edited to be paragraphed in a block format or is ruled, using the following techniques:
(A) The number of characters per line is determined, characters are entered while right and left blocks are formed within a line, and vertical blocks are entered in association with the right and left blocks. When two adjacent blocks are to be separated by a ruled line, a ruled line mark is entered between the characters or an underline is utilized.
(B) Block frames are created and controlled independently of each other for a serial character array.
In conventional technique (A), when document editing (e.g., insertion, deletion or the like) is performed, the block is broken. Editing must then be performed again in accordance with the block format. In technique (B), when editing (e.g., insertion, deletion, or the like) is performed, block sizes become non-uniform. In the worst cases, characters extend outside their corresponding blocks. Therefore, blocking must be performed again.
In a conventional ruled line processing apparatus with a one-line display for composing a document with ruled lines and printing the document, a technique is utilized wherein a document is paragraphed in a block format or two block marks are utilized to determine lateral and vertical positions of the block so as to create a ruled line block document. In the latter case, one of the two block marks has priority over the other. For example, when the lateral mark has priority over the vertical mark, lateral blocking is performed and then vertical sub-blocking is performed. With this technique, it is very convenient to have a character vertical blocking number which is different from the lateral blocking number. However, it is cumbersome to regularly use two different types of marks for frequently used patterns such as " "-like patterns, the lateral blocking number of w is equal to the vertical blocking number.
Another conventional ruled line processing apparatus with a one-line display has been proposed for ruled line block document composition.
This apparatus uses the one-line display to compose a blocked portion of a document as blocked sentences and a non-blocked portion as ordinary sentences. However, the blocked sentences must be in a block format. Therefore, the blocked sentences cannot be easily separated from the ordinary sentences. Furthermore, some of the ordinary sentences cannot be easily separated from the others and thus cannot be put in block format, if so desired.